


Avalanche

by undernightlight



Series: Music Inspirations [13]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Siblings, Deviant Upgraded Connor | RK900, Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Siblings, Emotional Baggage, Gavin Reed is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post-Canon, References to Drugs, Undercover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:54:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24490876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undernightlight/pseuds/undernightlight
Summary: Gavin and Nines must go undercover to bust a small scale drug gang. Though not their department, it should be easy, but Gavin hasn't told Nines, or anyone, that he was recently diagnosed with a genetic illness that could take his life.The two must ensure they do their jobs, all while navigating their complicated feelings for each other.
Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Series: Music Inspirations [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1156637
Comments: 5
Kudos: 58





	1. The New Reality

**Author's Note:**

> To establish, this is post-canon. I'm not sure by how much, but you can clearly tell it's been a while because they have quite a comfortable dynamic.
> 
> Enjoy!

His leg bounced as he waited outside the office. A nervous habit he hated. The chair was uncomfortable and the walls were a dirty white, blank of posters not offering him even the slightest bit of distraction. He’d been waiting for a week and a half, and he thought he wouldn’t have to wait another good few hours in the fucking hospital, yet there he was, still. What was taking them so long? It had to be bad news. If everything was fine, he’d have been in and out, no problem, but they were making him wait, so something was wrong. It was just a question of how bad it was.

Before he could start truly eating his own brains out, a nurse emerged from the office and called in. He grabbed his jacket from the chair and followed in, Instructed to sit, he did, but his leg continued to shake.

“Mr Reed, isn’t it?” The doctor asked.

“Yes.”

“You’re receiving test results today is that correct?”

“You know that, don’t patronise me.”

Doctor Chambers sighed. “My apologies, but I was only trying to delay things.”

“It’s not good, is it?”

“I’m afraid not. We’ve managed to isolate the mutated genes in your genetic sequence. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to diagnose the issue sooner, which means treatment is less likely to work, and can be more intense than someone who’s been diagnosed at your stage.”

“Why wasn’t it seen earlier? I’d reported my problems long before the tests were taken.”

“There was not enough evidence, not knowing your father’s medical history, to previously warrant the tests as both parents need to at least be carriers.”

“You knew about my mom.”

“But we knew nothing of your dad. Considering the rarity of the condition, we assumed you’d have nothing to worry about.”

“Well, you were wrong.” The doctor couldn’t argue because he was right. Their incompetence was dangerously high. How they even managed to stay in practice as long as they had baffled him as the doctor began rambling out an apology before reverting back to the reason they were there.

The meeting went on far too long, talking about treatment schedules and listing all the side effects he’d experience, but he knew this already. He’d been there with his mom so he didn’t need to hear it again. He tuned bits out, hearing the odd word forcing him back into the conversation, or needing to answer questions. They could tell he wasn’t fully with them, but that was expected after the news he was given. “So,” Gavin interrupted, “How long left to live?”

The doctor hated giving that estimation. If their guess came true, it was heartbreaking. If it was sooner, it was life shattering. If it was later, it was soul crushing. He explained their predictions, while Gavin just nodded along. That was the information that mattered to him. He had things to do before he died – he thought he did at least – so he needed to know.

Medication was prescribed, ones for the pain mostly, one other to slow the cell growth before he actually started sessions; they needed time at the hospital before they could do that.

The consultation went on longer than he expected. There was no point in going back to work, he’d missed enough already, so he just headed home. An empty apartment greeted him, like every evening, and he sighed. Maybe it shouldn’t bother him, at least not anymore.

He showered and changed before dropping himself onto the couch and turning on the TV. There was nothing on but he didn’t really care, instead settling on garbage shows for background noise. His jacket hung across the arm of the couch, and he pulled out the three plastic bottles from the inside pocket. Standing up felt like a chore. He went for water, and swallowed them down with the liquid as quickly as he could. Hopefully they’d be more effective than standard, cheap pain meds.

He laid down. He could try and sleep, and he did, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to. He should get all the sleep he can now before it gets too bad that he couldn’t. It was going to get worse. Everything was going to get so much worse. He knew what was going to happen to him, he knew the side effects of the medications, of the drugs that were continuously going to be pumped into his system, but he’d...Gavin wasn’t sure he was going to be alright. He doubted he’d make it.

With the TV still on for noise, he tuned out words and dialogue as he watched the people’s mouth move but he couldn't hear what they were saying. It wasn’t important anyway. Very few things were.

# # # # # #

Nines was, understandably, relieved when he saw Detective Reed traipse through the precinct doors only twenty minutes late. He’d been unreachable for three days with no word of explanation, and Nines was beginning to worry about his partner. Gavin was chugging down the remainder of his coffee and he trashed it when he’d finished, dropping it in Officer Chen’s bin.

“Good morning detective,” Nines said once the detective was close enough to their desks.

“Yeah, apparently. What I miss?”

“Nothing particularly worth your concern. There was a home invasion but the suspect has since been apprehended.”

“You go with Anderson and Connor?”

“Yes detective, I worked with them both during your absence.”

Nines had hoped that would be enough to allow Gavin to disclose his whereabouts for the past two days, however it did not work, as the detective just sat and logged into his terminal. There was something off, Nines could tell; his tone didn’t hold the usual Gavin-esque feel Nines was used to. He sounded drained beyond the physical. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, fine.”

“You don’t seem fine.”

“Tired, that’s all. I wasn’t well the last few days, thought it best to stay home.” That in itself was strange, as Gavin had a tendency to overwork himself - and into an early grave if he was not careful - but Nines let the subject go. Perhaps Gavin was finally taking some of Nines’ health advice and taking time away from work when he needed it.

As the day passed, Nines noticed how quiet Gavin was. He was usually joking, talking about anything that popped into his head, more often than not complaining about something, yet Gavin barely spoke, being incredibly productive when they really had little to do. They weren't called out so Gavin had nothing to write up, yet he seemed fixated on his terminal. Occasionally, he'd look up, glance around, specifically looking over to his partner, before his eyes fell back to the screen.

Eventually, it approached lunch, and Detective Reed stood from his chair, pulling on his jacket. Nines followed suit but only managed to sleeve one arm before Gavin's voice interrupted him. “I’m taking lunch alone.” He started to walk away, and when he saw Richard take another step forward, mouth open to question, Gavin turned on his heels, “Alone.” Richard found himself only watching the detective leave, stood behind his desk still with one sleeve in his jacket. They always went for lunch together now, even if Nines never ate anything.

“Is everything okay?” Nines turned his head abruptly to the voice of his brother, now standing close behind him. Connor was truly a master of stealth, as he had intended to be of course.

“Everything is fine...I think.”

“Detective Reed giving you trouble?”

“No, just acting strangely, but I’ll let you know if it changes.”

“Well, me and Hank are going for our lunch break in twenty minutes and you’re welcome to join us.”

“Thank you Connor, but I’ll stay here.”

“Okay, but if you change your mind, let us know.”

“I will.” Nines shimmied off his jacket and hung it back on his chair before sitting down, returning to his work. Detective Reed was back before Connor and Lieutenant Anderson had left. Gavin normally took his entire hour, if not slightly longer, for his lunch, never only fifteen minutes. Connor and Anderson also noticed, as Nines could see them glancing across and exchanging confused looks, but neither said anything before they stood and left. Connor asked once more if he’d like to come, but Nines still declined.

“You weren’t gone very long?” He asked his partner.

“Got work to do.” Gavin didn’t even look at him as he began typing into his computer once again. Richard didn’t have anything else to say, nothing to complain about because it was true, they did have work to do, though still not much, but he still knew something had to be off, he just wasn’t sure what it was.

# # # # # #

“I’m leaving early.”

“Is everything alright?” Nines asked as Gavin stood and began pulling on his jacket.

“Yeah, fine, just got stuff to do.” Gavin bolting before he could be asked any more goddamn questions. He wasn’t blind either like Nines seemed to think, he could see those looks across his desk as he worked, and it was starting to drive him insane.

He climbed into his car and drove to the hospital. He fucking hated hospitals but he better get used to them as he’d be spending a lot of time there for...however long he lasted. It was his first proper session and he couldn’t help but feel nervous, and he hated being nervous.

The doctor said the first few sessions were always the worst, the hardest on the body and the mind, and Gavin bared that in mind when he was led to a room, white like the rest of the building. He was lucky he didn’t have to change into those stupid gowns he hated, just removing his jacket and hoodie to expose his arm. The needle was inserted and it hurt more than he expected, though he never particularly cared for them, and the clear plastic bag was hooked up. He’d be there for about an hour, the chemicals slowly being introduced into his systems. As the treatments went on, he’d be left in there longer and new elements to the treatment would be introduced as he body got used to it.

He was left in the room alone, a TV on. Great, more shit to tune out. It was easy, but he found it difficult to fully drift awake, getting nauseous and tired yet unable to sleep. It was not nice, he could feel his body react to the drugs. Luckily the staff knew these side effects, and he found himself vomiting into the cardboard bowl they’d left on a trolley at the side of him.

No food. Empty stomach. He couldn’t bring himself to eat lunch, he just wasn’t hungry. Instead he just smoked a cigarette. He’d been thinking about quitting, and he’d slowly been having fewer a day, but what was the fucking point now.


	2. Undercover Operation

Detective Reed was already sitting at his desk when Nines walked into the station. To his knowledge, Reed had never arrived at work before him. Unusual. As he approached, he saw Gavin working at his terminal, face slumped into his palm as he read the screen. His other hand was fiddling with the end of his sleeve.

“Good morning detective,” he greeted, but Gavin did not respond, though it appeared he didn’t hear him. “Detective?” Still nothing. “Gavin?”

“Hmm?” He snapped out of his, startling himself upright in his chair as he looked at Nines.

“I said good morning.”

“Oh, yeah, morning.”

“Is everything-”

“If you fucking ask if I’m alright again, I swear, you won’t be.”

Something was definitely wrong. It had been a long time since Detective Reed had threatened him with physical violence. Nines couldn’t tell how serious the threat was, whether he’d actually execute it, but the fire behind the words was clear. “My apologies,” was all he said as he sat at his desk, hanging his jacket on the back of his chair.

Nines wondered what could’ve happened for this hostility to have returned. Work had been no different either. Nines could only assume something else was going on that he was not privy to, however, that didn’t mean it wouldn’t soon bleed into their work life. Or perhaps it was him. To his knowledge, he hadn’t done anything that didn’t already align with his personality, but he couldn’t be positive he wasn’t the reason for the detective’s sour mood.

Had it always been there, just more carefully disguised? No, he would’ve noticed. They were friends, he was sure of that by now but...maybe Detective Reed had had a change of heart, and he was finally done with his partner. He shouldn’t speculate when he doesn’t have enough facts to draw an accurate conclusion; he was just wasting time and energy, and causing his stress levels to rise unnecessarily.

“You’re here early.” Nines said; it came out more of a statement than a question.

“Yeah, so? I couldn’t sleep, give me a fucking break.” Nines quietened himself to stop further pissing off his human partner, though he was sure just his presence was agitating enough for the detective, as Gavin often looked up across the desks before scrolling or clicking on his terminal.

Work, again, was quiet. Anderson and Connor were called out at one point, and Nines waving his brother off in one swift motion, though mainly because Connor initiated it and was left smiling like an idiot when his brother reciprocated; Connor was one of the most advanced androids ever created, yet he got joy from such simple things, which in turn always made Nines smile, even against his own will.

While they were still out on a call, the two remaining found themselves called into Captain Fowler’s office. Gavin grumbled under his breath as he stood with sluggish movements, and Nines noticed him sway ever slightly, but quickly steady himself against his desk, before walking to Fowler's office. Nines followed at a safe distance. Once they were inside, he took a seat next to the detective, slouched, opposite Fowler, sat upright.

There was a silence growing in the room, but Fowler was not one for suspense or ‘beating around the bush’ as the strange human idiom goes. “You’re going undercover,” he said.

“What?” Disbelief and frustration was evident in Detective Reed’s tone from the start.

“You’re going undercover to infiltrate and bust a small distributor of red ice, known to have connections to large manufacturers.”

“That’s narco’s job, not ours. We work-”

“You work whatever I tell you to. Narcotics is critically understaffed, you know that, and they have no one to spare. They’re already deep in a four month operation and we cannot afford to give up now. If I didn’t have to, I assure you, I’d get somebody else for the job, but you two are the only option.”

“Bullshit!”

“Mind your language. You don’t have a choice in the matter, so the quicker you accept that, the quicker we can deal with the rest of the operation.” Nines could see Gavin’s jaw tighten and clench, biting his tongue, but remained silent with averted eyes. “Good. I expect full cooperation from both of you,” though Nines had not said a single word, or even sound, in protest. “You’ll both be given a copy of everything we have so far at your desks later today. We have a team working on creating the fake identifications.”

“When and how long?” Gavin asked, focusing himself on more important things to the operation’s function than his willingness, but still not willing to sit up straight.

“Three days from now, and the operation will last about a week with you in and out of cover.” 

Gavin nodded along, slumping further in the chair, still unamused. Nines had no opinion on the situation. It was true that these situations are normally handled by narcotics, but it was also true they were understaffed. Nines was confident that he and Detective Reed would get the job done to an above average quality.

They were told they’d get the reports after lunch, then were dismissed. In a huff, Gavin left the room, and when he reached his desk, swept its contents across the floor in one swift movement of his arm.

“Fuck! As if I don’t have enough shit on my plate, now this too.”

Nines followed down after him, calm, hands behind his back. “Please detective, that’s unnecessary, everything will be fine.”

“You don’t know that, you can’t fucking promise that!” He was shouting, but his volume quickly lowered before he ran away with his words. He hadn’t told Nines. He hadn’t had the time and he didn’t have the intention, and like fuck he was going to tell him now. Nines, he didn’t need that, and it wasn’t fair to unload his problems on someone who couldn’t do anything about it; Gavin was sick, nothing was going to change that - there wasn’t a guarantee the treatment would even work - so why worry his partner? Nines got stressed like everybody else, and he didn’t need something additional to worry about. Now, they had other priorities, his health, in terms of conversation, could wait indefinitely.

“Detective?”

“Hmm?” He snapped back at the sound of his partner’s voice.

“You seem distracted.”

“I’m fine, just tired tincan, leave it at that.” He pulled himself away from Nines’ hand that had, at some point, come to rest on his shoulder, and he began tidying the mess he’d made. He made a mental note to contact the hospital to reschedule an appointment.

Nines stood there for a moment before bending down and helping the detective pick up his scattered belongings. He was lucky Gavin didn't have a mug of coffee on his desk, otherwise things could've been worse, possibly resulting in mild scolds. Instead, it was mainly paper and pens, some paper clips and post-its, and an empty, plastic container that once contained high-sugar, baked goods that Gavin would use to get himself through the busy and draining mornings.

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Fowler watching them from his officer. Unnecessary, he thought, as it by far was not Gavin’s most dramatic stunt, and not far off his usual, bad mood behaviour.

Over their months working together, though Gavin did have his bad moods, he also had happier times. Nines found the detective to be much more caring than he’d first let on, in fact much more emotional that Richard had anticipated, but he chose to hide those feelings he thought would make him weak and vulnerable. Gavin presented aggression and frustration and sarcasm, not fear or pain or longing.

Nines, to knowledge shared to him by Reed, was the only ever witness to an emotional breakdown. He was overworked, stressed beyond measure, so exhausted his legs gave way and he collapsed to the floor. It was late, no one else was there but the two of them, working on a case when it happened. Nines was careful not to jostle him as he propped Gavin up against the side of a desk. He was so panicked for the detective, who though weak, could still manage a light smile. “It happens more that you’d think,” he had said. They spend fifteen minute on the floor, Nines beside him against the desk, not another word spoken.

Trying to explain to the detective that these moments did not make him weak, that emotions were beautiful and powerful things only ever fell on deaf ears. Nines had stopped trying most of the time, but sometimes, he couldn’t help but worry.

The detective seemed to resent his help in tidying the mess of office supplies and paperwork, but didn’t force him away or verbally complain, just allowing the help with a scowl. Soon, everything was settled back in its rightful place, and they returned to their own desks and chairs. 

The silence reformed around them as they continued to work until lunch. Gavin took his lunch alone again, leaving Nines wondering what he’d done wrong. This time it only lasted ten minutes before Gavin returned, pocketing his phone and stamping out the end of his cigarette.

“I wish I didn’t have to keep reminding you that they’ll kill you, detective,” he commented as Gavin sat back down. He was met with silence and scowl that could melt glass, if such a thing were possible.

A short amount of time passed until they were given their reports, dropped off by Officer Chen with a smile and friendly, handwritten post-it notes with their names on stuck to the front of their files. They flipped them open and began reading through.

“Seriously?” Gavin exasperated.

“What is it?”

The detective looked up from the file. “Harvey? Do I look like a fucking Harvey to you?” Nines, logically, had started reading from the beginning of the file, whereas Detective Reed had skipped ahead to the parts which held his most immediate attention. Richard did so in turn, skipping ahead to see his change of name: James.

“It seems neither of us prefer out aliases.”

“You?”

“James.”

“Oh great, what is this, a Batman comic?” Nines chuckled, understanding the reference and finding Gavin’s exaggerated annoyance funny. His partner laughing managed to sprout a small smile, a cross of shy and smug, across Gavin’s face. Catching his eyes only for a second, but Nines saw that smile, and couldn’t deny that it was a wonderful sight, but all too quickly it fell from Gavin’s face, and the flatter, more stoic expression returned that he’d been wearing the last few days.

With the fleeting feelings of something only recently lost, Nines turned back to the front of the file, but did not get far before Gavin started up again. “And I've got to get a haircut? Bullshit.” And again, Nines flicked ahead.

“I've been informed I should alter my hair colour but not its length.”

“Lucky you. They’ve even given us shit we need to wear, jeez. And these half assed backstories are painful.”

“I’m a university drop out, if that makes you feel better.”

Gavin looked up, confused. “How’s that going to work Mr Android?”

“The only identifying factor for me is my LED, and I am able to camouflage that.”

“What, really?”

“Yes,” and Nines demonstrated. His eyes closed, and Gavin could see his eyeballs roll under his lids, left to right. Slowly, the blue light started to fade before the LED appeared to sink into the skin and disappear altogether. Gavin was taken aback. As Nines opened his eyes, “I was programmed with such a feature for instances like this, if needed for undercover work. I am the only model that has this distinct feature.”

“Hmm, well, it’s the least robotic you’ve ever looked, but you know, you still sound like you.” Gavin shrugged, “Take that how you will.” And he turned back to his file before he started smiling again. Nines didn’t try to repress the smile, not that Gavin could see. It had taken him time, but Nines never wanted to be like anyone else. Nines was happy being Nines.


	3. The Skyline Diner Experience

When Gavin woke, he decided he’d rather be dead. Okay, so no he wouldn’t, but that would come soon enough he thought. He reached over to turn off his alarm, the beeping seemingly louder than normal, and he forced himself to sit upright. Seconds later, he was bolting from his bed to the bathroom, keeling over the toilet as remnants of the previous night’s food resurfaced. It was worse than any hangover he’d ever had, and he’d had many in his time. When he stopped lurching, he tried to stand but wobbled. He managed to brace himself against the back of the shower before he could hit the floor. He stayed there, still, fingers stuck against the glass, eyes shut tight trying to keep himself together; it had only been a few days, he needed to keep it together.

He lent against the shower far longer than he would’ve liked, but eventually he found himself able to stand without falling, and made his way slowly to the kitchen. He wasn’t hungry, far from it, but he had meds to take and he knew it was stupid to take them on an empty stomach; he’d been warned the side effects would be much worse, and he really didn’t want to have to deal with anything worse than what he already was. Eggs. Eggs will do.

Cracking them was easy, and he mixed in cheese as the liquid slowly began to form more solid, scrambled clumps. When it was done, he picked at the food with his fork, forgoing a plate or bowl, pushing it around more than he was eating it. He took his time, and if he was late for work, oh well. They were having a meeting today about the red ice operation they were involved in, but that wasn’t until after lunch, so it hardly mattered how long it took to eat his eggs.

Dressing was also a tedious task that he managed to complete absentmindedly, just finding whatever jeans and shirt he could; all black, fine with him. He laced up his boots, then turned his attention to his bedside table, sliding open the draw and taking out the bright orange bottles. Twisting the childproof caps, they opened and he took them with the water he kept at the side for this very occasion. It was his sixth day on these things, he thought things would’ve settled by now, but apparently not. As long as they were gone by Friday, it was fine.

He finished getting ready for work and left, grabbing the necessaries for the day.

He was late enough to miss the early morning traffic and arrived at work sooner than he though, but still late. Time had become largely irrelevant to him though he was actually more likely to be early that late. He was lucky in that regard.

Most mornings he would wake far too early, his alarm still set and ready to go, but it didn't need to. He would vomit most mornings, at least once, and shower if he had the mental energy - he also found morning showers made him extra dizzy on medication - before he'd manage to eat something, dress in appropriate clothes and leave. Gavin had never been one good at keeping schedules, but this routine seemed to find him and not the other way around. He didn’t mind having a little bit of structure in his mornings, but that wasn’t his idea of a morning routine.

As he entered the building, he instantly spotted Nines sitting at his desk, reading through something on his terminal. It was hard to ignore that Gavin missed him. He saw the android every work day, and sometimes afterwards at birthday parties or work gatherings, and every once in a while on a weekend. Over time, they became close - it would be foolish to say otherwise - and Gavin knew that Nines was one of his closest, most trusted friends. Gavin knew he’d do anything for Nines, including pushing him away for his own sake. That didn’t mean Gavin couldn’t miss him, but he was smart enough to know in the long run that distance between them was the best thing.

The android look up Gavin approached, lightly smiling before his attention fell back to his screen. Finally he got the message to stop asking if he was alright. They worked in relative silence until they received a call about a homicide. It could've been given to Hank and Connor, if it was any other murder, but it was their's because it was dangerously close to the location of their undercover op. Just their luck, Gavin though, as he pulled on his jacket and they headed out.

It was raining in Detroit, as it always seemed to be when they were called to investigate a case. They drove in relative silence, the radio providing background noise that Gavin desperately needed. Nines didn’t seem to be paying attention to much, staring out the windows as they went; in moments like this, he reminded Gavin of a child, eyes always following the skyscrapers to the top, watching the people get slowly wetter as they walked from place to place.

They arrived to flashing lights and officers still setting up the posts for the “crime scene - do not cross” lights. There was a crowd already present, passersby stopping to nose themselves around, reporters hoping to pick up usable details. Once parked. Gavin stepped out and wobbled as he did, but stabilised himself against the hood of the car before his partner could notice. He took a deep breathe in before following behind, flashing Officer Chen a quick ‘sorry you’re stuck in the rain’ look.

Inside the house, in the centre of the living room, lay a body face down. White male, mid to late twenties, stabbed multiple times in the back. There was a pool of thick, red blood under the body, still shiny, clothes stained and damp. Nines bent down beside the body to close examine it.

“It appears the cause of death was severe blood loss due to excessive stabbing.”

“Yeah, no shit Sherlock,” Gavin retorted from the other side of the room, arms crossed as he scanned the bookshelf. “But what’s more important to us right now, is why he was killed and by who.”

After looking through the victim’s pockets for ID and finding nothing, an officer handed the identification scanner to Nines. He pressed the victim’s finger to it, and a few seconds later it beep. “He’s not in the system,” he said. The detective put down a photo he’d been holding and moved to join Nines at the body’s side.

“He could've been involved in drugs,” Gavin said, “which would explain the track marks as well as the location of the body”

Nines pondered. “Potentially.” Gavin scanned around, and spotted something under the couch. After reaching under, he pulled out a baggy, holding up for them both to see. It was red ice, and a rather large quantity. You don’t inject red ice.”

“Maybe they do now.”

“It does not dissolve in water.”

“Maybe they found something else to mix it with.” Gavin handed off the bag to evidence. “Let’s roll the body.” They flipped the victim, the detective quickly checking the pockets. “Empty,” he said, sitting back on his heels. “We’ll have to cross reference his appearance with any missing persons reports.”

He stood, stretching out his back and Nines followed suit. “Do we think this is a drug related murder?” The android asked.

Shrugging, Gavin stood. “Possibly, likely, but we’ll have to see what the ME says first then go from there. They might end up cancelling our undercover work if they think we’re at high risk.” Nines couldn’t help but pick up on the hopeful undertones of Detective Reed’s voice.

“Perhaps.”

They began searching the rest of the house but found nothing else unusual. Upstairs, everything seemed to be in place. There was an expensive watch left on the side table of the master bedroom, and so it minimised the chase it was a burglary. It appeared the man lived alone, and so it wasn’t a vengeful ex-partner or irritated spouse. No identification was found anywhere in the house.

Finding nothing, they left the CSI team to handle the rest, and left. After about five minutes of another awkwardly quiet drive, Nines asked, “While we’re out, should we stop for lunch?” It was around the time Gavin would leave for his beak, and arguing with Nines was a losing battle, whether it was meant to be an argument or not, and so Gavin sighed but nodded. Smiling, “Should we go to Skyline Diner? I know you like the food there and it’s close to our current location.”

Gavin just nodded again, Nines being correct in both statements. When he snuck a glance across at Nines a few moments later, the android was still smiling, but his attention had fallen to the external world once again.

Sooner rather than later, they arrived at the diner. Damn, he sure loved this place. It was old and quaint, and have a vintage aesthetic that reminded Gavin of pictures of his grandparents from back in the day. The neon lights, though some may consider them obnoxious, were a comfort to Gavin. Stepping inside, the smell of coffee overwhelmed him, another comfort that he was currently missing; his medication required a reduced caffeine intake.

They found a quiet booth towards the back and shuffled in, pulling off their jackets. “Hey Gavin, it’s been a while.” His attention flicked to the mention of his name, and his gaze met with Abigail's and he smiled.

“Hi Abby, yeah, sorry, work’s been busy, you know how it gets.”

“Tell me about it.” Abigail was in her late twenties, polite and pretty, and always with a warm smile on her face. She always greeted him, and would happily talk with him, or just as happily leave him alone if she could tell that was what he wanted. “You want your usual?”

“Yeah, but just a regular today, I’m not too hungry, and no coffee either.”

“Wow okay, that’s new. And you Nines?”

Gavin turned his attention to his partner, who’d previously been occupying himself by scanning his surroundings but looked to Abigail when he heard his name. “No, but thank you,” he said, smiling politely.

“I’ll bring it out as soon as it’s ready.” She walked away with her usual spring in her step - really, that girl never seemed to have a bad day.

He didn’t recognise the music playing, something from before his time he guessed, and sat fiddling with a sugar sachet he’d picked from its holder on that table before he’d decided not to have his regular black coffee. Sitting across from Nines was tense when neither of them were speaking; he didn’t do well with silence.

“You don’t seem very comfortable, detective,” Nines eventually spoke up, to Gavin’s relief and frustration.

“Just tired.”

“Are you getting enough sleep? I’m concerned for-”

“I’m fine, please just...leave it, alright?” Even Gavin knew that wasn’t convincing, the hesitation and hush in his voice was so clear that he sounded vulnerable, and he hated sounding vulnerable. Nines nodded, looking rather taken aback at the detective’s snapping, and Gavin, as much as he would’ve liked not to, felt guilty. When Nines was upset, he went from looking like the toughest, most deadly android to a puppy trying very hard to not show that it's sad but failing miserably.

Gavin rubbed at his eyes before changing the topic of conversation, refusing to sit in silence again. “Okay so this case,” he began, “Do we think it could be someone trying to send a message?” At Nines’ tilted head, he continued. “I mean, look at the body. He was stabbed a lot, excessively, which though makes it seem like a crime of passion, there was practically no evidence left behind, which is more in line with a premeditated homicide. If the victim was a drug user, red ice or otherwise, it increases the odds that it was a drug related incident, and it’s not unheard of for gangs to kill people to set an example, or in turf wars. This would explain why nothing of value was taken - the message has to be clear for whoever it’s intended for - and why he was stabbed so much.”

Nines nodded along. “A solid possibility, and one that cannot be ruled out until further information is gathered.”

Gavin’s food arrived, and he thanked Abigail. Only once staring at the food did he realise he’d left his medication in the car. One of his many pills was to be taken before meals or any significant amount of food. He kept one bottle in his car for his lunch breaks, not that he’d been eating anything significant as of late, but with the burger and fries in front of him, he should. He stared at it a little longer before looking up at Nines, who of course was looking at him. Against what he knew he should do, Gavin began eating; he knew he’d suffer the consequences later but whatever it was, it would be better than dealing with Nines’ scrutiny.

The food was, as it always was at Skyline, delicious. The food wasn’t the problem, it was him. His appetite had decreased as of recent - the medication - and he found he was feeling full rather soon. He managed to change the conversation, letting Nines take the lead and listen to him talk about what eating was like for him - he couldn’t really taste the same way humans could, and he couldn’t digest food - as well as what it was like living with Hank and Connor - loud. It was nice to just listen to him talk and not feel like he was interrogated or at risk of being exposed.

He finished with still half his food on his plate, but he’d had enough. Nines didn’t question it, but Gavin could tell he wanted to. He paid and they left, driving back to the precinct in time for their meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh I tell ya, Reed900 has to be one of my favourite ships . There is something so satisfying about their dynamic, and all the dynamics it can take (enemies to lovers, fluff, smut, angst, AUs) while still feelings like the same ship.  
> I also love the fandom's ability to give Gavin really compelling backstories and turn him into a pretty likeable character despite being a complete ass in game, and that they RK900 an entire personality when you barely see him, and idk, but fandom is great like that.


	4. Metaphysics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a little later than I wanted, sorry, but it's still up this week at least.

It was himself and Nines, as well as a few additional officers in case backup was needed: Officer Tina Chen, Officer Chris Miller and Officer Ricky Mendez. He didn’t know Mendez, Miller always seemed friendly, not that he was always particularly friendly in return, and Tina he trusted with his life. Captain Fowler was also present as well as Lieutenant Erin Wilkes from Narcotics, who would be taking the meeting.

She addressed them all so formally, though Gavin supposed that was to be expected. Running over the information that had been in their file was quickly done before getting down to the operation itself.

“You two,” she said, directly addressing the detective and his partner, “Will be Harvey McKay and James Daniels, two individuals who are desperate for money and who turn to the drug trade for income. We know that the distributors you’ll be infiltrating, known on the street as Matchmaker, are undermanned, and should be willing to quickly get you both involved as we also know they’re planning a large scale take over of new territories.” 

Wilkes continued on about more intimate details of the plan. Gavin tried his best to pay attention, but he was suffering the effects of skipping his meal time medication; he felt nauseous and dizzy and far too hot. It was his own fault, but it still sucked.

The meeting went on for a while, at least an hour, close to two, before they were dismissed. Getting out of that stuffy room did wonders for Gavin, but it didn’t fix his problems.

“Detective, you look pale,” Nines said as they sat at their desk, “Are you feeling alright?”

He nodded, eyes closed, focusing on keeping his breathing steady. Nines was watching him when he opened his eyes. Gavin felt like he was stuck between rock and a hard place; he wanted to reassure Nines as best he could, but he couldn’t tell him what was going on, not now. He offered a half smile, tired and lazy, and hoped that would keep Nines off his back awhile.

He needed Nines to stop caring, that would solve the problem.

# # # # # #

Everything was done for the day and Gavin was going home. He waved off Nines without a word, pulling on his jacket. Outside, he lit a cigarette before climbing into his car. The silence on the way home felt worse than it had when Nines was sitting beside him earlier that day. The silence was empty now, void of unspoken concern and childlike wonder of the city around them. Gavin couldn’t help but chuckle, thinking about how different his life was now than it had been before Nines.

He was still aggressive, still overworked himself, was still self destructive, but now he had someone there who could handle his mood swings, who could pry him away from work for his own good, someone who took those self destructive tendencies in stride and did all he could to protect. Fuck, Gavin would miss him. Pushing him away was going to hurt so much, he knew it, it already hurt - when did he get this fucking attached to an android and when did he get so soft - but what other choice was there? Nines spent so much of his time protecting Gavin, the least he could do now was to try and protect Nines from this, from this shitshow that was his life.

He stayed in his car even after he parked, just sitting there trying to compose himself but it was hard. He came to the conclusion that the medication was affecting his hormones or something, some reason why everything felt that much heavier on him, why he felt everything.

# # # # # #

Nines sat quietly in the back of the car as they drove home. Connor and Hank were talking in rather loud voices to compete with the radio, arguing over which was the best horror movie sequel.

It was hard not to admire how far Connor had come in such a short space of time. They were built for the same purpose, to hunt and destroy and kill, but Connor was nothing like that. He was almost human in so many ways, and Nines was sure Hank had something to do with that, but Connor was what Nines eventually aspired to become.

Gavin had brought qualities out in him he never knew he had. He was surprisingly clingy, physically and emotionally, as Connor had found out when they watched scary films together and Nines clung to Connor’s arm with an illogical fear of ghosts and demons. Also surprisingly, he was a worrier. If he had to guess, and he’d thought about this a lot, it had to do with his own indestructibility; his metal body was incredibly resistant to any kind of damage, and even when such injuries occurred, it was often easy to fix. If he lost a hand, it was a simple trip to Cyberlife for a replacement, and he could leave a few hours later completely intact. Humans, he’d found, were far more fragile.

Detective Reed had once fractured his wrist tackling a suspect to the ground as they fled. It had taken seven weeks to heal, and another six before the detective was in the same state as he was before. Humans were delicate and breakable, and Nines didn’t want that. He didn’t want that for Gavin.

Nines found he could be intentionally funny. At first, it was always saying the wrong thing that would elicit laughs from family and colleagues, but now he understood, and he had learnt that he had quite the penchant for sarcasm, especially when directed at Gavin. Connor still did always understand it, just like Nines didn’t understand the joy of scaring yourself with a horror film, but when Connor saw Nines make a joke and people laughed, Connor always smiled. It was something Nines appreciated.

They arrived home and all clambered out of the car. “Is everything alright?” Connor asked him as they walked up to the door.

Nines nodded, smiling. “I’ve just been thinking.”

“Anything you’d want to share?”

Nines shrugged. “I was thinking about how much I’ve changed since I became devient, and how far I still have left to go.”

“Oh don’t be silly,” Hank said, closing the door and then wrapping an arm loosely around Nines’ shoulders, “There ain’t some sort of end destination you know. You’ve just got to find what feels like you.”

“And how do I know when I feel like me?”

“I can’t help with that, it’s just something you feel.” Smiling, Hank swung his other arm around Connor, pulling both his boys closer to him as Sumo galloped across the floor to their feet. “Now how about we put the TV on and relax a bit, and I’ll let you two take Sumo out for a walk later.”

# # # # # #

Sumo pulled on his lead as he so often did when the field came into view. Connor let himself get pulled along, talking to the dog as they went - one of Connor’s many endearing habits. Nines took his time, a few paces behind. His mind hadn’t shut up since leaving work, thinking about where he was in life and where he wanted to be.

To say he wasn’t happy would be incorrect. There were many things he took joy in: his family of Hank and Connor and Sumo; his partnership with Gavin; old music from the 1960s; foreign language films. All this somehow didn’t feel enough but he didn’t know what would be needed to change that, what he was missing before he could become whole.

His mind kept flicking back to the past few days with the detective, and how his attitude had shifted seemingly without reason. It was frustrating, but more than anything it was worrisome. How was Nines supposed to help when he didn’t know how? If he’d done something wrong he’d rather know than be left waiting, confused.

Once on the field, Connor let the dog run free, and hung back with his brother. “I know there’s more on your mind than you were letting on before.”

Being honest with Connor was one of the easier things he could do. “I’m worried about Detective Reed. He’s been acting strange recently and I’m concerned.”

“I would say that if something was wrong he would have told you, but that doesn’t sound like something Gavin would do.”

Shaking his head, Nines took a deep breath. “I just wish he would trust me enough to tell me if something’s wrong.”

Connor gave his brother a rather sad smile, understanding. There wasn’t much Connor could say that would lighten Nines’ mood, they both knew that, but he would try. “You shouldn’t take it so personal, it seems he trusts very few people.” Connor was right and Nines knew that. Gavin was a difficult man to deal with for anybody, and Connor couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have him as a partner but somehow Nines made it work. “He probably trusts you more than anybody else; his life is often in your hands, and if he didn’t trust you with that, he would’ve requested a new partner a long time ago.” 

Sumo came bounding over with a large stick in his mouth and dropped it at Connor’s feet, who picked it up by the non-slobber covered end, and threw it. He continued, “If something is wrong, it might just take him some time to come to you, but I’m sure he will.”

Nines wished he shared Connor’s optimism. “I do hope you’re right.”

Connor could sense that that wasn’t all that was on his brother’s mind. “And what else?” It had been rattling around Nines’ head for a while, and with everything else going on, it rattled harder. Connor might not be able to give the best advice, but he trusted nobody else, and so he spoke.


	5. Like a Goddamn Teenage Idiot

It was the start of their undercover operation. There had been no incidents between the now and the murder a few days prior. The ME concluded that the victim did indeed have red ice in his system, but he also had taken heroin shortly before his death, and therefore it was unclear if it was related to the ongoing drug related issues in the area. They had made no more progress on the case, and were still unable to identify the victim as of yet.

They’d been dismissed from official duties early to ensure they’d be ready when the time came to leave. Nines had stayed at the station, and had sat with Hank and Connor to pass the time, before leaving to change. Hank laughed when he’d returned. His usual black dress shirt had been replaced with a short-sleeved button down with vertical stripes, and his black slacks replaced with brown trousers. He’d never worn such casual footwear before, but the black canvas sneakers were comfortable. His outfit, though unusual for him, was not ridiculous. Nines assumed what Hank was really laughing at was his blond hair.

“You look nice,” Connor said, no hint of sarcasm or malice, and Nines smiled back politely.

“Thank you Connor.”

It wasn’t long however before they were leaving. He bid them farewell, Connor hugging him goodbye and telling him to be safe, and then began to wait for the detective to show up.

This night was critical. If they didn’t succeed, then the rest of the operation would have to be scrapped. It put pressure on them, pressure Nines was sure Detective Reed did not need, but there was little he could so about it. He hoped everything went alright. They were going in unarmed, and Nines couldn’t use his android strength if he was supposed to be human; they were at high risk and he knew that. Gavin also knew that, and knew to be careful, but that didn’t ease the android’s stress.

Nines had been waiting longer than expected. He was sure nothing was wrong, he would’ve been alerted otherwise surely, but still he couldn’t help but be anxious. Detective Reed had become increasingly more irritated in the past few days, especially in regards to him. Nines could only assume he’d done something wrong, overstepped a boundary he didn’t know was in place, or even existed; humans were still a struggle, and Gavin, though they’d been working together for some time, was still a difficult man to understand.

When Detective Reed finally did appear, though Nines had anticipated a physical difference, he was still met by surprise. Gavin’s hair was shorter all around, with his sides, and back Nines guessed, neatly buzzed in stages, styled to look unstyled. His outfit was equally unusual, with scruffy black jeans and an old rock band t-shirt from the 90s. Over top, a thick plaid shirt left unbuttoned, with runnings of red, black and burgundy. Thick black boots added an inch to the detective’s height.

“You look…” Nines began, still figuring out how to end that train of thought.

“Yeah, like a goddamn teenage idiot, let’s go,” and the detective turned and left before Nines could say anything else. 

That wasn’t what Nines was going to say. Instead, he was going to say nice, but the moment had passed, and so Nines just followed Detective Reed - or “Harvey” - outside. Once out of the building, Nines was met with Gavin mid turn, finger out pointing to Nines’ chest.

“You, urm, you look like a teenage idiot too, especially with that hair.” Gavin gestured to the blond, before walking away again in the direction of their designated vehicle. Nines looked upwards, though he could not see his hair and knew the exact colour it was. Perhaps it was an insult, but the tone made Nines believe otherwise, and a small but fond smile settled on his face as he walked to meet Gavin yet again.

Internally, Gavin was kicking himself. He was supposed to be distancing himself from his partner and yet he couldn’t. ‘You look like a teenage idiot too,’ fucking well done Gavin, he thought to himself, why not just tell the guy you think he looks like a fucking Greek statue. Now was not the time to get hung up on words and emotions as Nines reached his side; they were about to start a week-long undercover operation that required their full attention.

The car in front of them was old and drab. It made sense if they were broke, but that didn’t mean Gavin had to be happy about driving it. He spotted Tina standing with Officer Miller - Chris he was told to call him - and Officer Mendez, all in casuals, waiting by an unmarked car’ they’d be nearby in case something went horribly wrong.

Everyone knew the plan, it was just ensuring everything went smoothly.

The drive to the location felt longer than it was. Running over the plan would’ve made sense, but neither found they wanted to speak about it. It was easier pretending they were working like normal, and not doing a job they weren’t trained for. The car didn’t even have a working radio, so the ride was silent. Nines watched out the window as they went, but the usual shine in his eyes, the child-like admiration for the world was gone, replaced by something much colder and something almost melancholy; somehow, Nines’ sadness felt oddly personal, but Gavin couldn’t describe why.

Arriving at location, they were both tense. With the engine off, it was deafening. It was dark, floodlights on in the distance, taller than the stacked shipping containers. Meeting in a shipyard was dangerous, but it was the only place that could be set up - Gavin still wasn’t exactly sure how that was managed but he wasn’t going to ask.

“Are we ready tincan?” He asked. Nines looked across to him in a way that wasn’t overly convincing, but they didn’t have a choice, and so Nines nodded and they got out of the car. 

They had to weave through the containers to get to where they needed to be. Just as Gavin was about to round the final container, Nines’ hand on his shoulder pulled him back. Looking up, Gavin could read the worry and distress on his partner’s face, and was sure if his LED wasn’t hidden, that it would be spinning red. He gently pried Nines’ hand off of him and let it fall back to his side. “It’ll be fine,” was all Gavin could think to say. Nines nodded again, and though Gavin wasn’t completely convinced the android’s fears had been put at ease, they had to continue. Either of their fears couldn’t stop what needed to be done.

Rounding the corner, they instantly saw three men and two large SUVs, and as they approached, one man stepped forward. Wearing a t-shirt, his arms were tattooed heavily, and with thick, heavy jewellry that reflected the light. “You’re the two guys looking for work?” The man said.

Gavin nodded, “Yeah, and you’re Everett if what I’m told is to be believed.”

“You’ve been told correctly. Your names, please.”

“Harvey,” Gavin said, “And he’s James.”

“Big guy doesn’t talk?”

Nines was under instruction to let Gavin handle most of the talking. It made sense, and Nines knew he didn’t exactly sound human. “He talks,” Gavin replied, ”He’s just quiet about new people.”

Everett Walker, they knew, was the head of Matchmaker, and the reason they were called that to begin with. Walker pioneered a new kind of red ice, one laced with chemical aphrodisiacs. It became popular among colleges, pimps, horny bastards desperate for a one night stand - practically everyone. It ran a higher price, but many found it was worth it.

They stood silently as Everett scanned them both up and down, lingering on Nines a little longer, eyes narrow, before pulling out a small plastic baggy from his inner jacket pocket. “It’s just the normal stuff, don’t need you getting hard right now” he said waving the bag around. Inside was red ice, and like Everett claimed, it was not their particular blend; all Matchmaker baggies had their logo on the plastic. Everett threw the bag at Nines, who caught it with ease. “Might take your edge off.”

Everett and his crew stood staring, clearly waiting. Nines looked down at the bag in his hand, but instead of doing what he knew they wanted him to do, Nines pocketed the drugs. “My edge is fine,” he said, “And I prefer not to get high around strangers, especially if business is involved.”

Nines, for once in his life, did not sound like himself, not like an android at all, and Gavin had to refrain from looking as shocked as he felt. Everett, after scanning up and down once more, eyes narrow, he smiled. “Alright then, I respect that.”

They survived. Okay. Gavin was sure, once he’d gotten over Nines’ tone, that that would be the end of the operation and they’d be sent to the precinct for a knock down by Fowler, but it seemed Everett had enough of a sense of humor that Nines’ comment didn’t raise any red flags.

“Speaking of business?” Gavin interjected.

“Ah yes, I suppose you two are eager to help us out. From what I heard, you two are desperate, is that correct?” Gavin - Harvey - was hesitant, but nodded, eyes downcast. “My source spoke well of you, so, if you can prove yourself trustworthy, then we’ll set you guys up with some income. Sound good?”


	6. Lost My Way

Crashing back at the DPD was a necessity - reports, debriefings - but somehow it also felt it was the right thing to do emotionally. Gavin was already drained, Nines could tell, and sunk into his desk chair like lead. “Detective?” He asked, and Gavin looked up at him, “Is everything alright?”

There were a few seconds of blank staring before Gavin replied. “Get off my fucking case.” Signing, the man stood far too close for comfort when Nines didn’t move. “Maybe you do need your edge off.” Before anything else could be said, Gavin pushed passed, arms making solid contact. Nines pivoted and watched Gavin disappear from his view, towards the kitchen, feeling more hurt than he probably should.

He was still unable to tell what he’d done wrong. At times, everything between them felt as it should be, and in moments like that, Gavin was kind and making jokes and being so incredibly human. Maybe this was also just Gavin being human, but Nines had been Gavin’s partner long enough to know his behaviour didn’t seem normal, not anymore.

It would be easier if he didn’t care as much as he did for him, if Gavin was just like any other human to him, but he wasn’t. Gavin was his partner, someone he regularly trusted his life with, someone who trusted him with his life too. And though their start was rough, Nines was exceptionally grateful to have him as his partner.

It would be easier if Nines wasn’t in love with him, but that wasn’t the case.

Sitting at his desk, he thought about the conversation he’d had with Connor two days prior while out walking the dog. Connor had been more helpful than he’d thought, perhaps because Connor had been deviant longer or because he had indeed deviated from his code, unlike Nines who hadn’t even made it out of Cyberlife before he was given his freedom. Connor spoke of how complicated emotions were, how long it had taken him to understand that one word like ‘happy’ or ‘sad’ still meant so many different things, so many different, unique feelings all wrapped in one simple word.

Emotions, both androids could agree, were not simple things, and love was infinity more complicated. Connor loved Nines like a brother - for all intensive purposes he was - but it took Connor a long time to understand what that love entailed. Nines agreed with every point Connor made in that regard, as Nines thought of Connor in the same way. Nines had, eventually, gotten the hang of the difference between familial love - Hank and Connor - and the love for a friend. Gavin had, for a long while, sat comfortably within the ‘friend’ category, until suddenly he didn’t and Nines wasn’t sure what to do. Something suddenly felt different and he didn’t know how to explain it.

With Connor’s help, Nines was able to come to the conclusion that it was romantic love he felt. Connor was very calm and seemingly unsurprised by the revelation, instead just saying, “I’m glad you’ve found someone who’s made you feel so strongly.”

Nines spun in his chair and stared in the direction of the kitchen, but Gavin did not appear around the corner like he was somehow hoping. Nines was feeling lost, more lost than he had in quite a while, because at least before, though he didn’t understand emotions or sarcasm or the fascination with old horror b-films, he at least knew that he didn’t understand it, and knew where to go from there, what paths he needed to take. With this, Nines stood alone in a field, not knowing where to go next.

# # # # # #

Despite knowing he shouldn’t, Gavin poured and downed a cup of coffee, black. It was late, and he wanted to go home, but he had to finish up here before he’d be let out the precinct. As he rested with his head in his hands against the counter, debating whether a second cup of coffee was really worth it, Tina walked in, expression softening when she saw him.

“Gavin, what’s up?” She asked, coming to stand at his side.

“Would people just stop asking me that?” Though his voice held frustration, his voice was quiet and soft spoken.

“They would if you looked like you were doing alright, but you’re not. People worry about you, you know.”

Gavin shook his head as he lifted it, turning to lean back against the countertop. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not, but I know you won’t tell me if you don’t want to.” She lent against him head resting on his shoulder, and they both stared blankly ahead of them. “Just look after yourself, okay? And if whatever it is gets too much, you’ll always have me to talk to.” He nodded. “Me and Nines, remember that too.”

Tina was too good for him. She cared for him, about his health and well being, and about his interests and hobbies and his family. She was the only one who knew to contact Elijah Kamski if something were to ever happen to him because she was the only person who knew they were brothers - half brothers but that’s besides the point.

In general, he was a prickly person, and Tina was one of the few people who’d hung around him long enough to get though, and he’d always be grateful for that, even if he wasn’t always the best at letting it known.

After a few moments of silence, Tina righted herself and smiled up at Gavin. “We should probably finish up so we can go home.” She was right, as always, and so he nodded and followed her out of the kitchen, without a second cup coffee.

Nines was sitting at his desk when Gavin returned to his own, and they got on with their work independently. Their reports would be similar, for that was the point, but even so, it was common for them to chat across desks, double checking bits and pieces, but also talking about non-work related things. Silence was becoming commonplace between them as of late, and Gavin knew he was partially responsible for that, but it was surprisingly more difficult than he thought it would be.

It took Gavin significantly less time than he’d expected to get the report done. “I’m going.” He waved off his partner and left the building. Driving home, the radio offered him no distraction. He was also relatively hungry, and stopped as a drive-though on the way back, eating in his car in the parking lot. He remembered to take him medication, and he hoped it would offset his earlier lapse for caffeine. The burger didn’t do much for him. Normally it would be something he greatly enjoyed, but this time not so much.

Once home, he changed, took another pill from his numerous supply of little, orange bottles, before collapsing into bed.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to try - and try being key - to update once a week. I struggle with consistency, but hopefully, since I already have a bit written, I'll be able to manage, at least for a while.


End file.
